Ohio Democratic Party executive director Doug Kelly responded to Sen. John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate by criticizing Palin's experience.

"As voters in Dayton and Youngstown wish him a happy 72nd birthday, John McCain has placed the former mayor of a town of 9,000 just a heartbeat away from the presidency," Kelly said. "John McCain's entire campaign has been based on the argument that experience matters, but Sarah Palin doesn't have any. Today's announcement was an act of political desperation by the McCain campaign, but it does not alter the fact that the Republican ticket promises Ohioans more of the same."